The storms had come; she'd gone home to see them, the first ones of her short life.

As marvelous as it'd been, she still returned to the fields in a rather uncharacteristically melancholy state. Truth be told, she was deeply missing her closest friend Spectrum. She had only just stumbled back into the mare's company when she rushed off in her excitement.

Taking a few days at home had meant weeks would have gone by here; the rest had been good for her, and pitching in with the work made her feel important. But she could only do so much; eventually she was banished to her adventures again.

She didn't think she'd he lucky enough to find either Spectrum or the interesting water mare she'd left behind, but she was sure to find something. Besides, she'd have to see Spectrum again before too much longer; the pair were running a rather prosperous honey trade.

It didn't stop her from missing her friend though. She wanted to show her a new trick she'd recently found.

As she couldn't, she used her trick of "painting" withe auroras to create an image of her friend in the sky. It wasn't perfect - a filly's rendering, if a talented one. But it got the idea across.

She'd found herself in a strange area when she returned, a place with huge trees that had spikey leaves all covered in ice. She did know the type of ice at least; snow had begun to melt only to freeze over again.

There was ice and mud all around, everything glinting bright under the clear sky. It was decent lighting, but she also had a moss-crystal with her. They glowed even in the brightest sunlight; it was of course a blue-green crystal with a shimmering gold moss. The little design in the middle looked like a fluttering ribbon.

Clever as she was, she'd asked her next closest friend Darroch to coax a sproutling to grow around it. Drying the plant left her with a small and sturdy trinket; the crystal was only as big as her ear. It was just big enough to light up the area around her if worn in her hair.

It also served as a small reassurance, not only for the six feet of illumination on either side but also as a link to the friend she missed so much. This beautiful hair piece came from Spectrum's home.

In all honesty, AuraSidra wasn't even sure why she felt so lonely; she had plenty of playmates. Maybe it was part of growing up; maybe she didn't even want a playmate. She just wanted to be close to someone. To have a Real relationship. Even Darroch, who she adored, couldn't claim the compare to what she'd found with Spectrum.

Would any else ever see more than just her size?

It was a good question, but not one she could dwell on. However much she was beginning to grow she was still young; it didn't take long for her to distract herself with "painting."

She'd thought once that this place was a little sad, seeming to miss so many of the colors that were found in her auroras back home. A little experimenting revealed that taking the solar winds could create some of the missing shades; it was a bit different, a bit wild, and yet strangely the magic here still felt as if it shared some part of her soul. It seemed to want to create what she desired, if she only learned how to ask in a way it knew. The thought brought a smile; magic, at least, doesn't care about size.

Spectrum galloped through the fields at breakneck speed. She had felt something a moment ago. It had felt new, curious, and strangely confident at the same time. It had to be the filly. She began looking for the foal when the baby gator incident had been resolved (due to an adventure with sap, he was stuck to Kiddo's belly. Who knew?). Now she was finally close to her best friend again. She looked into the sky to see a beautiful picture made out of lights. Her smile widened and she began running even faster towards her best friend. She had missed the fiesty young filly greatly, and couldn't wait to return to her company. She suddenly saw her in the distance, the light from one of the crystals surrounding her. She let out a whinny of pure joy and made a beeline for the smaller Serian. Hey, AuraSidra! There you are. I've been looking for you. she said upon her arrival, panting slightly after her sprint. She looked at the crystal in the filly's mane, and was struck once again with how clever she is. Smart idea with the mane crystal. Pretty one, too. Will you ever stop impressing me? she asked with a fond smile. This is where she's meant to be. At AuraSidra's side, helping however she can, and delighting in the filly's actions. Spectrum honestly didn't know why she was so devoted to the filly, but she honestly couldn't care less. Her best friend was here for the first time in what felt like forever, and Spectrum would play with her until she said otherwise.

No sooner had she resolved to experiment with the different lights in the sky here than she heard a familiar whinny. The filly let out her own squeal of excitement and essentially exploded into a veritable ball of energy; she bucked and pranced circles around the mare, dancing out her joys. She didn't realize it, but the sky mirrored her; the auroras flashed brilliantly, weaving into vibrant colors and patterns, a dancing ribbon similar to the design in her mane-crystal.

I didna mean ta run off, AuraSidra cried, prancing up to tug at Spectrum's mane with a silly grin, It was da storms at home, did you see, did you get to help too, wasn't it great?

She'd slipped in her excitement back into her 'baby speak,' her words becoming slightly garbled despite all the help Darroch had given her. She was older now and it was getting better, but she still had some time to go before she could slow her thoughts enough to be clear without effort.

You really like it? she went on, tossing her mane to get the crystal to cast a brilliant flash of green-gold light, We can make you one too, and oh, you can wear it on your leg! Like how Tribe wears her golden trinkies, er, trinkets, yeah? Maybe lots of little ones all wove together so you have like a rainbow of light that shimmers when ya move?

That familiar spark was in her eye, ideas bouncing around in her head with all the excited energy of - well, of a filly. She was still prancing in place, but her eyes were all for her friend. Whatcha think? Would ya like dat? Hey, why was you in wet-place, anyway, you isna that sort of wet-place Serian, but it woulda been fun to essplore with ya, oh and I found somethin new and wanted to show ya but I couldna cuz you was gone and I was esplorin and I missed you, wanna see?!

Spectrum giggled at the filly's energy and tried to filter through the rapid-fire questioning so she could answer a few. She'd start with why she was in the swamp.

I was in the wet place because I was looking for a baby alligator that was stuck to my bondmate's belly. It's not as weird as it sounds she finished with a chuckle. She paused for a second, then said Or, maybe it is. she said with a contemplative look. She shook her head and smiled at the filly again.

I love the trinket idea! It's absolutely perfect! Spectrum leaned in really close and whispered Rumor has it, my bonded is working on getting me a pair of my very own wings! in an excited voice. She had always wanted to be able to soar through the clouds, go so high up she'd get ice crystals in her mane.

She smiled even wider at the filly and said But more importantly, you have a trick to show me. Let's see it! she finished as she got into a playful stance. She couldn't wait to be impressed by her young queen yet again.

Wings! You'd be perfect with wings! And we could fly together and the magic would be all sing-y in your blood and you'll dance with the sunset!

Smiling brightly, she tossed her mane and lifted her nose to the sky, only vaguely considering the concept of baby alligators stuck to the belly of a stallion. Look, look, she urged, and concentrated her very hardest as the auroras began to ripple into something new.

It was Spectrum again, but not as she was now - it was Spectrum with wings. The pair the filly painted her with her thin and delicate, painted glass that looked just as the markings over her back. It seemed the mare flew by the power of rainbows; at least in the image.

I'm still learnin', AuraSidra said apologetically as she glanced at her friend, but I think it's a neat trick anyway. Was the one with the crockigator stuck to him the guy you call Kid, the one who made trouble but got better?

Spectrum's smile widened the entire time the filly spoke of her possible wings, and she got so excited at the description that she had to do a little prance in place to shake some of it out.

Her head quickly faced the sky at the filly's urgent command, and the image she saw up there stole her breath away. It was perfect. She smiled at the foal and answered You don't have much more to learn about this, I'll bet. It's absolutely perfect! If I do get wings, I want them to look just like those. She sent the filly a look full of loving admiration, the kind of look one gives to someone they admire and look up to. She was devoted completely to her filly, and would do anything for her.

She was jerked out of her musings by the filly's next question, and she had to giggle. Yeah, that's him. I got here after he started getting better, so I kinda took him under my wing and decided I'd help teach him. He just needs a little guidance is all. she said with a fond sisterly smile. Most of it was an act anyway. He was just afraid of being hurt, is all. At least, that's what he told me. she finished with a shrug. He really wasn't so bad. Just a kid that thought throwing tantrums was a good way to get attention. She looked over at the filly and was suddenly incredibly grateful she wasn't under the same impression. That would be horrifying!